I saw a purple gallinule in Everglades NP in January 2014. One of the craziest, most interesting birds I've ever seen. Very memorable. In January 2018, in Orlando Wetlands Park, I saw another. Just one, and from farther away, but I got to watch it for several minutes.
All About Birds has a distribution chart and its primary distribution is in Central America and much of South America. Where I was in Florida was about the northern-most tip of its year round distribution and portions of the Gulf Coast states and the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina are the northern-most destinations for summer breeding distribution.
The gangly, long, yellow toes facilitate walking on lilly pads.
Such a strange creature. His gaudy coloring looks like it was determined by a five year old, and those feet--Wow!
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